Saturday, September 21, 2013

What's better than spending the entire day pampering each other? NOTHING. Pat and I luxuriate a lot more often than other couples; but to be fair we do use the term for everything from laying on the couch watching TV to getting really (insanely) long bubble baths.

I really love the idea of taking care of each other after a busy week, not only do we have time to reconnect and reflect, but it's also the perfect way to relax! Pick up (or make) a few bath bombs and a fun mask, put together a magical playlist, and spend the night making each other feel the most pampered!

BATH BOMBS + BUBBLE BARS WE LOVE:
-DIY Fizzies via Martha Stewart: We used Grapefruit Essential Oil because that was all I could find at the last minute, but they smelled amazing. Instead of using water, use witch hazel exclusively. The fizzies will be harder and dry more quickly

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Painting a wall seems like hard work, but it's a cost effective and fun way to update your space! Pat and I have never painted a wall (alone or together) until last week, and we had THE MOST fun. There's something about working together and making a giant mess that is definitely more romantic than it sounds.

During the process we learned (and daydreamed) a lot. I came up with a list of Do's and Don'ts for first time painters looking to enjoy Sleep-in Saturday.

Do:

-TAPE EVERYTHING. Even if you don't think you need to. Pat taped a corner that I never would have thought to, and I'm so glad he did! Sometimes, you lose control of the roller or paint splatters from the brushes! Be prepared!-PUT DOWN A DROP CLOTH. I didn't think it was necessary to buy one, but we did rip open trash bags and tape them near the baseboards. I'm really clumsy, so in the long run, this precaution was necessary.-USE A PRIMER. Just do it.

Don't:

-Draw on the wall with sharpie because you think it will be a cute photo-op. It shows through. I promise.
-Try to prime the spots where the sharpie shows through after painting. You'll get shiny spots on the wall if you look at it from certain angles.-Put a second coat in only one area. (See above). If you want/need a second coat, paint the whole wall.

But seriously, just have fun! Enjoy the process and enjoy spending quality time with your sweetie!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, possibly even Twitter, you may have already come the conclusion that I've recently started dating the most INCREDIBLE man on the planet. We've been doing tons of really amazing and adorable things; each date is more magical than the last. But, I'm saving that for another series...

Pat and I are lucky enough to be able to spend Friday night and all of Saturday together. However, there is one caveat; we live in a suburban area and don't always have access to a car on those two days. Which means we're on own for 24 hours. We've taken it as a personal challenge to find fun, quirky things that we can do together on Saturdays that don't require driving or even leaving the house.

We decided to do this series not only to motivate inspire all of you, but also to keep us from laying on the couch watching reality TV all day (which we are pretty much professionals at, anyway).

This week, I decided that we would experiment with insanely healthy breakfast options that include alternate, mildly off-kilter proteins like chia seeds and quinoa.

I made APPLE QUINOA BITES from And They Cooked Happily Ever After and they were devoured in mere seconds. We ate the first 12 in record time. I'm not big on breakfast, but I still made a healthy dent in the two dozen the recipe yielded. I skipped the maple syrup (because we were out) and used stevia in place of the white sugar because; why not? Honestly, we really did love them. I took the few remaining pieces to work the next where they were greeted once again by smiling faces.

I love smoothies in the morning, but feel rather neutral about peanut butter. I put my bias aside because I thought that Pat may enjoy the Peanut Butter Bomb Smoothie from Oh She Glows! and I'm so glad I did! We both adored it! I used natural, organic unsweetened peanut butter and extra chia seeds because I love them. I did skip out on the complicated topping. I'm not a morning person, so the fact that I cooked anything before coffee was a personal triumph. There was no need to show off.

All-in-all, our experimantal healthy breakfast went really well. Once of tummies were full, we did luxuriate for the rest of the day (and by luxuriate, I mean we-snuggled-on-the-couch-and-watched-Harry-Potter). It was perfect.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Saturday mornings are my favorite thing ever. EVER. The boyfriend and I can stay up as late as we want on Friday nights, binging on baked goods and watching Bob's Burgers without any threat of forenoon obligation.

Waking up slowly and naturally (and quite happily) is almost akin to nirvana (the euphoric kind, not the flannel wearing grunge kind).

I wouldn't trade a sleep-in Saturday for anything in the world. This is living.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

This pattern is really simple, so I can knit it anywhere. I pretty excited about that.
Quince & Co. yarns are becoming one of my favorites. I love really squishy minimally plied yarn and they do it perfectly!

Dani doesn't really need an introduction, I'm sure youve seen her posts on this blog in the past, and she's a familiar face on my Instagram account as well.I'm really excited to share this post with you about her new self-published book! Her work is so raw and honest; really moving stuff.

i’ve been holding out on everyone and working on a secret project and it’s finally finished and you can hold it in your hands - a collection of poems i wrote from the perspective of myself if i were my ‘alternative.’ addiction, withdrawal, despair, hallucinations, near-death experiences, throwing up in parking lots. all of it is previously unreleased material that is sickening and dark like my…released material?

this project has actually proven itself to be quite a controversial one...but i challenge you to actually READ the book, before passing judgement on the theme. before making assumptions about what i have and haven't been through, or survived.

i’ve seen a lot, and sometimes i write about it. last thing i want to do is appear to be taking addiction lightly, or mocking people who have dealt with or are currently dealing with addiction. but addiction is such a broad term, and while i may not have struggled in the particular way i’ve portrayed in my writing…i sure have struggled.

i am currently working on two other books that will both be released in upcoming months, as well as a collection of super gut-wrenching zines available via my etsy!!

Monday, June 24, 2013

I know I've touched on the subject, but for those of you that didn't know; I've moved into a new place! It's so full of exciting new opportunity and positive energy. Some days, I wake up and I feel like my heart is just going to explode from symptoms of extreme jubilation. Of course there are other factors that have been making things incredibly blissful, but right now we're talking about the physical space.

I've moved into a much smaller room and have been working hard to find creative and visually appealing space saving solutions while buying as little furniture as possible. It's been tricky, but I love the way things are shaping up.

One of my first DIYs in my new bedroom is this fantastic record wall, I have a growing collection and my record console can only hold so many.

This DIY really is as simple as sticking a binder clip on either side of the record, and hanging it on two clear pushpins. Of course you get get really fussy and measure everything out, probably do some tricks with a level and string or something, but I just lined everything up with the baseboards and the corner of the wall and filled in the negative space. I don't like over thinking projects or waiting too long to see my vision come to fruition.

You really don't need to buy those fancy record frames to show off your collection. You can just go to the office supply store and buy a few bags of binder clips.